Our Bureau
Amritsar
The retaliatory measures to send back Pakistani nationals to their home country has picked up pace given India’s 48-hour deadline for them to leave the country. As many as 229 Pakistanis were seen leaving from Attari Border, which is an important cultural and trade route between the two nations. The move comes amidst India cancelling all visas granted to Pakistan nationals under a SAARC scheme along with shutting down the Attari-Wagah border.
A family from Karachi who went to Delhi to meet their relatives expressed anguish over the decision of the government to close the border and said, “We had a visa for 45 days and came here to attend an event. We were here since April 15. Closing the border is a wrong move. There should be brotherhood between the two nations,” he added.
Another Pakistani citizen, Mansoor waiting to cross the border after his visa revocation, said that mutual brotherhood should continue between the two nations while the perpetrators of the heinous crime be punished, “It should not have happened; whoever has done it is completely wrong. We want mutual brotherhood and friendship between the two nations. But we are returning home today.’’
Several returning people shared their frustration, saying that innocent people should not suffer for the actions of a few. “I am from Faisalabad (Pakistan). The situation is normal. There is no issue, neither there nor here. I don’t know about the attack. We were told that we must leave, so we are going back,” said Hanir.
Expressing concerns about the problems being faced by the common people post the Pahalgam attack, a heartbroken Pakistani citizen, said, “Whatever happened is not right. I am from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and I am married in Pakistan. My husband is from Pakistan… We were going to return after 4 days, but we reached here as soon as possible when we came to know that we had to leave. Only the perpetrators must be punished. The common people must not be punished… We left our crying parents behind…”
An Indian citizen from Bhognipur, UP, who reached the Atari border to drop his sister off in Pakistan, said, “I am from Bhognipur. I am here to drop off my sister, who is from Pakistan. The attack is wrong, no matter who did it. My sister had been here for 15 days; she had a 40-day visa. We had to hire a car for her immediate return. We had to bear unnecessary expenses… There should be peace…”
Sharing a sense of helplessness over the short duration of time to move to their home nation, a woman at the Attari border said, “We are told to leave within 48 hours. How is it possible?… Attari is 900 km from Jodhpur. We were not getting buses. My husband had to bear a loss of Rs 1 lakh for the tickets… My passport is Indian but I am half-Pakistani. I feel guilty for the terror attack, but what is the fault of the common people in it? I request that both governments not harass the common people…”
The Indian government has also suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, reduced its mission strength by half, and expelled diplomats and top defence officials from the Pakistan High Commission. It also withdrawn its own advisors and staff from its mission in Islamabad.
